72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada - waughfamily.ca

SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS OF CANADAgun fire from. Blecourt and the high ground on the exposed right liank. Despite this, Lieut. J. McK. Knight andfive men of his platoon contrived to work their way forward.Creeping up the bed of a partially dried-up stream, thebrave six effected an entry into the heavily-garrisoned village. Working with bewildering speed and audacity theyproceeded to mop up Blecourt. Placing a Lewis gun so asto sweep the village square, Lieut. Knight and his partybombed the cellars in the vicinity, and took, unaided, atthe point of the bayonet, 150 prisoners. By this time allLieut. Knight s men had been wounded. Their prisoners,who outnumbered their captors about 25 to 1, seeing theweakness of the attacking force, began to dribble away.Notwithstanding this, Lieut. Knight s party rounded upand took back into our lines no fewer than 80 prisoners,thus accomplishing what was probably one of the mostgallant achievements in the history of the Battalion.Owing to the increasing intensity of the enemys fire andthe very exposed position of the right flank, no furtheroperations against Blecourt were possible, and Lieut.Knight s party withdrew to the before-mentioned railwayembankment. Meanwhile "D"Company, who had beenmoving forward in support of the other three companies,had pushed their way into the gap which existed between"B" and "C,"and were establishing posts on the railwayembankment to the N.W. of Blecourt. Heavy resistancewas encountered by this company from the railway crossing about 100 yards further up the track. All four Companies were now in the line, and a review of the situationmay be made.The line held by the 72nd formed a sharp-nosed trianglewith its base resting upon Sancourt and its apex thrustfar forward some 1,400 yards toa point W. and N.W. ofthe village of Blecourt. On both flanks the ground rose.Particularly was this the case on the right. As before men-148